The present invention pertains to computer applications and more particularly to application help files.
Almost all computer applications have electronic help texts which users may access to obtain information on how to use the application. Some of these help texts are displayed integrally with the application, meaning that the help text is displayed as part of the application. Other help texts are provided as a completely separate file from the application. However, these help texts are conventionally fixed, i.e., the user cannot add or subtract from it. Such conventional help texts are typically written to address general use of the application and cannot be customized to the needs of specific users. Thus, conventional help texts are inadequate in situations such as when one user wishes to teach another user how to perform a specific maneuver in the application which is not addressed in the conventional help text.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example where User One 102 has an accounting application 106 and wishes to teach User Two 104 how to perform a complex accounting calculation with this application 106 which is tailored to the accounting procedures of their employer. The performance of this calculation is not addressed in the conventional help text 108 which accompanies the application 106. User One 102 cannot add or subtract from the conventional help text 108. Thus, the conventional help text 108 is inadequate for the task of teaching the performance of the calculation. In addition, if User One 102 is to provide a custom help text 110 for the calculation, he/she must provide it as a completely separate file. But as a separate text file, it cannot be displayed integrally with the application 106. The use of the custom help text 110 is thus cumbersome for User Two 104.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method and system of providing a user-defined dynamic help text which is displayed integrally with the application. The present invention addresses such a need.
The present invention provides a method for providing user-defined dynamic help text which is displayed integrally with the application. The method includes utilizing a monitoring program to monitor a plurality of events for the application; determining if a current event of the plurality of events is a spy event; if the current event of the plurality of events is a spy event, then displaying a help text corresponding to the current event of the plurality of events. In the preferred embodiment, the method also determines if the current event of the plurality of events is a user event if the current event is not a spy event. If the current event is a user event, then the help text corresponding to the current event of the plurality of events is updated according to a user text update. The method of the present invention uses a monitoring program which allows users to create customized help texts for any application. In the preferred embodiment, the monitoring program of the present invention uses spy threads and thus is non-intrusive to the application. In the preferred embodiment, because the monitoring program is a separate application which runs in synchronization with the application, the present invention may be used with any application.